{"id":13035,"date":"2021-08-18T11:19:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=13035"},"modified":"2021-08-18T11:19:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:19:20","slug":"policy-flood-risk-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2021\/08\/18\/policy-flood-risk-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"5 ways federal policymakers can bring equity into flood risk reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flooding remains the costliest, most deadly natural disaster in the U.S., causing more than $1 trillion in damages since 1980.<\/p>\n

As climate change\u00a0continues to\u00a0fuel more intense hurricanes, sea\u00a0level rise\u00a0and heavier rain events,\u00a0more Americans\u00a0are\u00a0at risk\u00a0from flooding\u00a0than ever before.\u00a0And\u00a0federal resources to protect communities from flooding are not provided to all communities equitably.<\/p>\n

This gap in protection\u00a0is a direct result of\u00a0unintentional, but consequential\u00a0flaws in the current\u00a0cost-benefit analyses that agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) use for flood protection projects.<\/p>\n

Here are a few ways policymakers and coastal planners can help adjust cost-benefit analyses to expand access to flood protection and achieve more equitable results.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Revisit cost-sharing requirements.<\/b><\/p>\n

When addressing flood risk, the Corps designs, builds and maintains flood protection infrastructure. However, this program requires local entities to share the cost and does not vary based on a community\u2019s ability or inability to pay for flood protection and infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n

Underserved communities, including low-income communities and communities of color,\u00a0are often unable to easily raise funds necessary to meet both the feasibility study and the design and construction cost-sharing requirements, putting them at disproportionate risk.<\/p>\n

The Corps and FEMA must reexamine the cost-sharing requirements and waive some or all requirements for underserved communities. This change would allow more communities to apply for federal assistance and flood protection programs and have more equitable access to protections.<\/p>\n

2. Redefine what \u2018underserved communities\u2019 means.<\/b><\/p>\n

Underserved communities\u00a0face significant barriers to\u00a0receiving flood protection\u00a0as a result of decades of overly restrictive policies that leave\u00a0many\u00a0without crucial infrastructure and flood protection funding.<\/p>\n

For example, FEMA\u2019s\u00a0Building Resilient Infrastructure in\u00a0Communities program\u00a0relies on a narrow\u00a0definition of\u00a0small,\u00a0impoverished communities\u00a0\u2014\u00a0one with 3,000 or fewer individuals\u00a0that is economically disadvantaged, as determined by\u00a0per-capita income, unemployment and other criteria established by its state.<\/p>\n

This definition leaves many\u00a0underserved\u00a0communities out,\u00a0such as flood-prone communities within cities, and it needs to be reexamined to become\u00a0broader and more inclusive to\u00a0provide investments where they are most needed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sea level rise and flooding threaten more coastal regions across the country. Federal agencies must rethink current risk reduction approaches to ensure they are not leaving any communities behind in the process.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Avoid overreliance on property values.<\/b><\/p>\n

The emphasis on property values within cost-benefit analyses fails to take into consideration the many other environmental and recreational benefits that may come along with natural flood reduction projects.<\/p>\n

Property values reflect current and historical inequities in lending practices, employment opportunities and wealth. This makes using property values\u00a0a\u00a0biased and incomplete measure of losses incurred.<\/p>\n

Policymakers within the Corps, FEMA and agencies alike need\u00a0a new approach, which\u00a0could involve calculating separate analyses for\u00a0people with incomes below poverty level, people who experience greater risk, people who face barriers to participation in flood hazard areas and comparing benefits\u00a0with measures of equity before\u00a0project\u00a0selection.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more in our letter to FEMA Administrator Criswell<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

4. Adjust cost-benefit ratio thresholds.<\/b><\/p>\n

Some low-income communities are exposed to higher flood risk and are more likely to lose their wealth and livelihoods following a flood event.<\/p>\n

The current\u00a0USACE\u00a0methodology\u00a0disadvantages lower-income communities\u00a0by assuming a dollar holds the same value from household to household.<\/p>\n

To provide a more equitable solution, coastal planners could waive the requirement for low-income communities in specific circumstances, allowing them to apply for and receive federal flood protection.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s time to shrink America\u2019s flood risk gap and find solutions that offer equitable flood protection. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

5.\u00a0 Emphasize natural infrastructure alternatives.<\/b><\/p>\n

Natural infrastructure like barrier islands, marshes, mangroves and\u00a0reefs work\u00a0in tandem with hardened infrastructure, such as levees,\u00a0to mitigate impacts from sea level rise\u00a0and storm surge.<\/p>\n

Research shows that natural infrastructure projects deliver a wide range of advantages while benefiting ecosystems and wildlife habitats.<\/p>\n

The emphasis on property values within\u00a0cost-benefit analyses\u00a0fails to take into consideration the\u00a0many other\u00a0environmental and recreational benefits that may come along with natural flood reduction projects.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to shrink America\u2019s flood risk gap and find solutions that offer equitable flood protection. Systemic inequities compound underlying risks and drive disproportionate impacts from climate change to underserved communities. Closing this gap will take time, must be\u00a0driven by the affected communities, and\u00a0must be a priority for policymakers\u00a0and coastal planners\u00a0to achieve\u00a0equity and build resilience for all communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How policymakers and coastal planners can expand access to flood protection and achieve\u00a0more\u00a0equitable results for coastal communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148348,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107017],"tags":[120376,4676,92489,243,85132],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-13035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coasts-watersheds","tag-coastal-flooding","tag-fema","tag-flood-risk","tag-flooding","tag-natural-infrastructure"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/148348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13035\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13035"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}